Introducing Kathy Goltz, our New Textiles Expert!

Hello.  My name is Kathy Goltz and I am the textile manager at The Brown Barn Bath Company.   As my title implies, I sew…. and sew…. and sew….  I make the eye pillows, neck pillows, and keyboard and mouse wrist rests that you may have noticed in our stores.   

I have been sewing ever since I was a kid, making Barbie doll clothes out of the scraps from my Mom’s projects.  When I was in 3^rd grade, Santa brought me my very first sewing machine.  It used glue instead of thread, and didn’t really work very well at all, but I was happy that I could now make something besides ponchos for Barbie.  Since then, I have made many quilts, with baby quilts being my favorite.  I like to specially design each one to suit the family and their nursery theme.

Prior to coming to work at The Brown Barn, I was unemployed for 1 year, 7 months, and 15 days.   Needless to say, I was super excited to finally get a job.  But, I soon realized I really don’t have to “work”.   Confucius said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”   Well, that job chose me!   I feel truly blessed to be able to play in my craft room all day, without constantly being interrupted by, “Mom…. Mom… MOM!!!!”    

In my free time, I enjoy drawing, photography, and painting.  I particularly enjoy oil painting, and I have even sold a few of my works.  I volunteer at our local high school, as the artistic director for the annual theater group’s play.  I paint the sets, design props, and make some of the costumes.  They even got me on stage last year (I was a bottle in Alice in Wonderland). 

Kathy on left, in the brown bottle!

When researching the products I would be sewing here, I found that OSHA suggests using a wrist rest “to maintain straight wrist postures and to minimize contact stress during typing and mousing tasks.”   They say that your hands should move freely and be elevated above the wrist/palm rest while typing.  When resting, the pad should contact the heel or palm of your hand, not your wrist.  I have been working on finding new, fun materials for our wrist rests.  I recently found some animal prints that I just adore.  You can now find zebra, giraffe, and leopard fur, along with a snakeskin look.  Of course, you will still see the fancy brocade silky fabrics in this line.  

I have also been re-designing our neck pillows.  I’ve made them a bit larger and a lot heavier, each weighing four pounds now.   These therapeutic neck pillows help relieve shoulder strain associated with tension and stress.  They can be heated in the microwave, releasing the relaxing aroma of lavender, while warming your body.  They also can be put in the freezer to help cool you down on those hot summer days.

Our Eye Pillows are a sensory relaxation tool used for easing stress and tension, while alowing you to rest and recharge, sleep or meditate deeply.  Filled with flax, and available in lavender, the Eye Pillow applies gentle acupressure to tired eyes and facial muscles, while the aromatherapy induces an aura of comfort and calm.  The luxurious fabric is cool to the touch, allowing the Eye Pillow to drape and conform to the contours of your face, providing welcome relief for headaches, sleeping difficulties, stress or eye puffiness.

Kathy designed and made this beautiful quilt, which replicates the original Brown Barn!

This is one of the Brown Barn quilts I made. You will soon see these in our stores, where they will be available for sale.  Also in the works are smaller, hand-made boudior pillows, which will combine my artisitc ability with the sewing prowess of Judy Talbot.  We will also be collaborating on larger art pillows, which are planned to be in our stores this year!